


Starlight

by TheOrchid (loveoftheimpossible)



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M, Infodumping, Insomnia, Stargazing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 04:04:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveoftheimpossible/pseuds/TheOrchid
Summary: Daniel remembers the stars.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentDianeEvans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentDianeEvans/gifts).



> For the Tumblr prompt: Charladay & 'I think you're beautiful.'

The others at the camp had long been asleep, soft snoring floating through the warm island air. Daniel's brain was racing with ideas at all hours, unable to differentiate when it should be resting and instead kept him up almost all day, save when he had to collapse out of sheer exhaustion. He didn't mind anymore, now that he could remember things a bit more clearly, surprising himself as he began tracing constellations with his outstretched fingertip to pass the time.

Charlotte stirred in her small tent a few feet away, opening her eyes slowly at the sound of soft muttering, star names carefully finding their way into her ear past the stray hairs surrounding it. She knew Daniel didn't sleep, or if he did, it wasn't for long enough to be significant; she had found out early on, hearing him pace around the freighter well into the early hours of the morning. Wrapping the rough sheet around her shoulders, she stepped out of her tent, toes digging into the cool sand, and crossed the short distance to where Daniel was lying, his other arm pillowed underneath his shaggy hair.

'Mind if I join you?' Charlotte asked. Daniel nodded and she folded herself until she was seated next to him, arms wrapped around her knees.

'It's funny, we can see these stars here,' he stated suddenly, running his finger over the curve of _Carina_ , connecting each star with a small swoosh, 'but my mother wouldn't be able to see them in California. They call it the Keel, it's just a small part of _Argo Navis_ , the boat in the sky.'

Charlotte nodded, content to just listen. She watched his finger move independently, sorting out pinpoints of light into a recognizable pattern.

' _Canopus_ is the second brightest star in the sky. It's a supergiant, but you can only really see it in this hemisphere. People up north can't see it, but it's the second brightest star in the sky.' Daniel paused, finger swirling slightly around the bright dot of light. 'People are like stars, Charlotte. Not everyone can see them, but when you do, it's incredible. Scientists were able to find _Proxima Centauri_ , despite it being one of the smallest stars. It's the second closest star to Earth, but most of us don't even notice it.'

They sat in the quiet dark for a long time, both looking towards the skies above them. After a while, Daniel sat up, shaking the sand that had ended up in his hair, despite his careful planning.

'It's just....it's really incredible. Astronomy is one of the more beautiful sciences, I guess you'd say. If everyone on this island looked up at the same time, they'd all see the same sky, and that's just....really beautiful.' Daniel swallowed, hand twitching slightly before reaching for Charlotte's in the sand, watching their fingers slowly intertwine until his body didn't know where he stopped and she began.

'Stars are like people,' she stated, understanding.

'And I....well, I think you're beautiful, Charlotte, more beautiful than any star I can remember,' he answered. Daniel's eyes were closed tight, like he was trying hard to commit this moment to memory, in case it slipped away too soon, in case the only star in his sky went out someday far in the future.

When he opened his eyes, he found Charlotte smiling, soft at the corners and _bright_. He spent the rest of the night mapping out the constellations in the freckles on her cheeks, and if Daniel saw the sun rise, he hadn't noticed.


End file.
